Maduravoyal's Elaya Nambi held in connection with TN hooch tragedy

CHENNAI: The Chengalpattu police arrested S Elaya Nambi (45), who had distributed methanol, an industrial spirit that was procured from Puducherry's Ezhumalai, in Marakkanam in Villupuram district in connection with the spurious liquor tragedy.

The police have also taken his associates -- Satish (27), Manimaran (27), Kathir (27), and Utthaman (31) for questioning. It is also reported that a small amount of methanol in the company was seized and taken for testing.

The toll rose to 21 in the twin spurious liquor tragedy in the State on Tuesday.

One incident took place at Ekkiyarkuppam fishing hamlet, where a group of 50 people had consumed the hooch brewed locally on Saturday evening during a function and the other took place in Maduranthakam in Chengalpattu district. Within a few hours, several of them had complained of uneasy feelings like vomiting, fainting, and eye irritation.

Police investigations had revealed that methanol was supplied to the victims in two districts and they were procured from the same person in Puducherry, identified as Ezhumalai.

Methanol is mainly used for industrial purposes and the accused had allegedly stolen the industrial spirit to brew the liquor, which was sold in Ekkiyarkuppam and Perunkaranai Villages, police said.

Since Marakkanam and Maduranthakam are only 50 kms apart, Tamil Nadu Police have been probing if there is any connection between the deaths in the two incidents and are probing if the victims had consumed similar drinks.

In Villupuram, Police arrested three persons V Muthu (35), A Arumugam (40), and A Ravi (42) of Marakkanam for allegedly supplying the hooch to residents of Ekkiyar Palayam.

Earlier, V Amaran (27) was arrested on Sunday. In Chengelpet, police arrested Chandru (40) and Velu (38), who sold the Industrial spirit to the victims.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Ma Subramanian met the patients being treated at Villupuram General Hospital and Chengalpattu Medical College and Hospital.

On Monday, DGP C Sylendra Babu issued orders to conduct a special search operation to trace and eradicate the sale of spurious liquor in the State.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Chief Minister M K Stalin announced the transfer of the investigation into the spurious liquor deaths to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID).